Improvement in the manufacture of concrete pavements and in machinery forthe same



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W. H. SMITH. Improvement in the Manufacture 0% Concrete Pavement andMachinery for same.

Patented Jan. 2, 1872 vine 19.: e0.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

W. H. SMITH.

Improvement in the Manufacture of Concrete Pavement and Machinery forsame.

Patented Jan. 2, 1872.

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. UNITED STATES PATEN FFIC.

WILLIAM HARROLD SMITH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CONCRETE PAVEMENTS AND IN MACHINERYFOR THE SAME.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 122,498, dated January2, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HARROLD SMITH, of the city, county, andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inthe Manufacture of Concrete Pavements and Machinery for the same; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawingforming part of this specification, in which- Figurelis aplan. Fig. 2 isa vertical transverse section. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of themachine, showing a part in section. Fig. 4 is a detached sectional viewof the mixing-vessel, forcing-vessel, 850. Fig. 5 is a cross-section ofthe street and pavement; and Fig. 6 is alongitudinal section, showing amodification of the pavement.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts.

The object of this invention is to provide for the public an improvedstreet-pavement, an improved method of laying the same, and improvedmeans for carrying said method into practice. To this end the inventionconsists in the improved machinery and appliances hereinafter described,andin the improved method oi'constructin g pavements and otherstructures by the use of such machinery and appliance,

substantially as hereinafter set forth.

A distinctive feature in mymethod of laying pavements consists inmanufacturing the concrete composition in a fluid or semi-fluid state,so that it will flow through pipes, and in conveying it from themixing-machine to the spot where it is to be laid, in pipes or conduitsand flowing it from the pipes upon the ground, or upon a suitablefoundation, where it immediately sets and forms the pavement, itssurface being molded to any desired conformation by means of surfacemolds.

In thus constructin g a pavement I preferably use the compositiondescribed in an application for Letters Patent of the United Statesfiled by me contemporaneously herewith; but in my improved process ormethod of laying pavements as herein described, I do not confine myselfto that particular composition, but propose to use any compositionwhatever, now known or hereafter to be discovered, the properties ofwhich adapt it to be conveyed and laid while in a fluid state.

In preparing and laying my improved composition above referred to, Imake use of machinery and other appliances, which I will nowproceed todescribe.

In the first place, for the purpose of thoroughly mixing the materialsand conveying them in a fluid state to the spot where they are to belaid, I employ a portable machine, operated preferably by steam-power,said machine being moved along from time to time either by hand or itsown motive power as the work progresses. The machine is provided with arotary mixingvessel, (2, with a crane or other suitable hoistingapparatus, 13, which dumps the materials into the mixing-vessel, with aseries of grinding and mixing disks, and wheels M N working within themixing-vessel, with adjustable and m ovable pipes or conduits D ,throughwhich the liquid concrete composition is conveyed from the machine tothe street; and also, if preferred, with forcing apparatus, F, whichforces the fluid into and through the pipes to its destination, themixing-vessel being rotated by a friction-wheel, m, upon the shaft m ofthe stir; ring-wheel, which shaft is driven by a crank and pinion, orother suitable means, operated by the power of the engine. The fixeddisks N and rotary stirrers M M are inclined to each other, as shown inFig. 3, so as to more thoroughly mix the contents of the vessel. Theliquid composition, after it has been thoroughly mixed with the pebbles,gravel, or broken stone, flows off from the mixer through passages cZ,provided with suitable valves, into the pipe D, which delivers itwherever it is required for use. When it is necessary to force theliquid up hill, or to convey it quickly orin larger quantities thanusual, or through long pipes, or to press it in the mold and expel theair therein, in which it might begin to stiffen before reaching itsdestination, I employ a forein g apparatus to propel it through thepipes, the same consisting, preferably, of a tight chamber, F, capableof resisting great pressure, into which the liquid flows from the mixer,and a pipe, f, by which steam or compressed air can be introduced intothe chamber F, upon the liquid, to force the latter, by pressure, intothe pipe 1). Any other species of forcing apparatus may, however, besubstituted, if preferred. A guard or shield, g, is attached to thestandard which supports the plate N, to

prevent the stirring-wheel from throwing out the liquid when in rapidmotion.

Any form of steam-engine, and any construction of propelling apparatusmay be used, which will answer the purpose, and the engine may becombined with or set up independent of the machine, and connected to itwhen in operation by belts, gear-wheels, or other suit able means. Thepipe D may be jointed or flexible, to adapt it to be lengthened orshortened, or moved in any desired direction.

By reference to my application for Letters Patent upon the compositionwhich I prefer to employ with this machine, it will be observed that theconstituent elements of such composition are cement, sand, water, andgravel, or broken stones. In preparing such composition I place thecement and sand in the mixer, in suitable proportions, and add the waterand the broken stones, the apparatus being either in motion or not, aspreferred. If not in motion I start it up and run it till the cement andwater have become liquid, and the sand and broken stones thoroughly anduniformly mixed therewith. I then open the valves and let it flow offthrough the pipe D. New materials may be continuously fed to the machinewhile it is in operation, or the mixing-vessel may be successivelyfilled and emptied, as the man ufacturer may prefer.

In laying pavements by means of this improved process and mechanism,where the ground or other foundation is level, it may not be necessaryto use surface-molds, as the composition is sufficiently liquid tosettle to a pen fectly level surface, but where the street is crowning,or the structure is to be molded to any particular form, surface-moldsmust, of course, be employed. These molds may be of any suitablestructure, and may impress upon the surface of the pavement any desiredconfiguration or design,from the simply-roughened or corrugated surface,shown in Fig. 1, up to the most elaborate patterns that the fancy maysuggest.

My method of laying the pavement is preferably as follows,but can, ofcourse, be altered as circumstances may require. First, having removedthe old cobble-stones, or other material constituting the old pavement,and leveled the street down to the required grade, I place suitable sidemolds, t t, across the street, and

run the liquid between them. It soon sets and forms parallel ribs orwalls w w. I then place blocks 1) 1), preferably of the solidifiedconcrete, at suitable intervals between the walls to to assist insupporting the surfacemolds, after which the latter are placed, as shownat c 6, suitable sinking-heads, 88, being provided to compensate for theshrinkage of the material in setting. I then connect the pipes D Dto'the molds and run in the liquid composition, the molds being helddown by weights, if necessary. The gutters, curbstones, and side-walksmay all be made at the same time, in one continuous piece with thecenter of the street, if preferred. In a few minutes after the moldshave been filled the liquid will have set sufficiently to allow them tobe taken up and advanced to the space between the next two walls, and soon until the whole is laid. Of course removable side molds or bulk-headsmay be employed in place of the concrete walls 70 w. The pavementconstructed by this process may be of any suitable thickness. Where thegroundis soft or there arebad places, liable to settle, it may be madetwelve inches or more in thickness, so that when complete it will standlike an arch of solid masonry, entirely independent of any localsubsidonce of the foundation. Then built for this purpose chords orgirders 70 k may be embedded in the composition, to operate in lieu ofabut; ments to the arch, or may may be extended across the street underthe pavement, as shown in Fig. 5, in which case it may be desirable toprotect them from decomposition. So, too, the pavement may be laid uponany kind of foundation, and the foundation may rest fiat upon theground, or be supported above it upon piles, sills, blocks, or othersub-structure, in any manner that may be preferred. They may beprotected from decomposition by means of a coating of concrete appliedto them, as shown in my former patent, for protecting piles. So. too,the pavement maybe cast with supporting ribs on the under side, as shownin Fig. 6.

Suitable provision may be made for the subsequent removal of sections ofthe stone concrete whenever it may be necessary to get at the water orgas-pipes for the purpose of repairing them, or to get to the groundbeneath for any purpose whatever. Spaces may be left unfilled by theconcrete and be afterward so filled in that the stones or blocks maybetaken out independently of the rest of the pavement. In filling in suchspaces a softer material may be used, which can be easily cut out orotherwise removed, or the hard material, ifused, may be separated fromthe surrounding pavement by a thin partition of softer material bystrips of wood, or by anything else that will allow the blocks to comeout readily, and to give it the required degree of elasticity. If noprovision should be made for the purpose blocks can be easily cut outanywhere by means of the newly-invented sand-blast apparatus, or by asaw or other device. To facilitate the cutting out of such blocks stripsof wood, or other soft substance, may be embedded in the surface of thepavement, if preferred, to prevent the horses from slipping, thoughthere will be no appreciable danger from such cause, as I design usingstones ofdiiferent degrees of hardness, in order that they may wearunequally, and cause the pavement always to present a rough surface.

A stone-breaking apparatus of any pattern may be used with the mixingmachine, and be driven by the same engine, both machines being combinedin one, if preferred. With such apparatus, when relaying pavements, Itake up the old cobble-stones as the work advances, break them up, feedthem to the mixing-machine, and lay them down again in the new pavementa few yards in rear, thereby saving all expense of transportation andeffecting an immense reduction in the cost of the materials, besideobviating the necessity of having large tracts of the old pavement up atthe same time. In laying the pavement in streets where streetrailwaysare in operation, beds may be cast in the surface of the pavement toreceive the rails.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is+- 1. The process oflaying concrete pavements by flowing the liquid material upon the bed ofthe street, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the mixing-vessel with stirring mechanism, andWith pipes or conduits to convey the mixed material from the vessel tothe street, when adapted to the construction of pavements, substantiallyas described.

3. The compressing apparatus F, in combination with the mixer, and thepipes or conduits, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. The portable machine herein described,

com hi] I in g a mixing-vessel, stirring mechanism,

Witnesses H. K. ELLSWORTH,

MELLVILLE CHURCH. (110)

